Macy’s debuts reindeer character for Thanksgiving Parade, holiday ad | Ad Age

2022-05-27 23:47:45 By : Ms. Sherry Zhang

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Macy’s has a history of creating holiday characters, such as Sunny the Snowpal and an animated version of Virginia O’Hanlon, the real-life child who asked about the veracity of Santa Claus in the late 1890s. The department store chain is back at it this year with its new holiday campaign, which will begin running Wednesday and include a new character.

A 90-second spot tells the story of Tiptoe, a blue reindeer whose fears of flying dissipate following a push to believe from friends. The story taps into Macy’s 13-year-old Believe campaign, a reoccurring theme in its holiday advertising.

Tiptoe will be featured in the department store’s flagship windows and also appear as an animated balloon in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which will return as an in-person event this year after a TV-centric show during the pandemic last year. Macy’s is also creating a plushie doll version of Tiptoe that it will donate to local charities and Make-A-Wish. A Macy’s spokeswoman did not say if the store will sell Tiptoe dolls to customers; a release noted that Macy’s is only creating 1,000 for charity gifting.

The retailer worked with BBDO on the new campaign. The 90-second spot will air in cinemas and online channels such as YouTube and Macys.com and a 60-second version will debut during the parade. A shorter 30-second spot will air on TV and video throughout the season. Macy’s plans to include digital features on Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram as well.

Tiptoe isn’t the only toy news from Macy’s. The retailer recently inked a deal to revive Toys R Us as a shop-in-shop in its stores beginning early next year. Executives recently discussed how the partnership will help Macy’s reach younger customers and millennial parents.

Macy’s recently reported a 61% uptick in same-store sales; net sales increased 56% to $5.6 billion.

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Adrianne Pasquarelli is a senior reporter at Ad Age, covering marketing in retail and finance, as well as in travel and health care. She is also a host of the Marketer’s Brief podcast and spearheads special reports including 40 Under 40 and Hottest Brands. Pasquarelli joined Ad Age in 2015 after writing for Crain's New York Business, where she also focused on the retail industry.